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Former Titans lineman Mario Branch dead at 31

Branch, a former Titans lineman, dies at age 31
Posted on April 8, 2011 by JIM WYATT,
, a mammoth offensive tackle who spent two training camps with the Titans, has died of congestive heart failure. Branch was 31. He will be buried on Saturday on Greenwood, Miss.

Mario Branch in 2003.
A 6-foot-7, 345-pounder from Mississippi Valley State, Branch was with the Titans during the 2003 and 2004 training camps, but he never made the final roster.

He played for the Nashville Storm in 2007 and later for the Philadelphia Soul. Branch had been living in Nashville and working as a security guard until his death. A family member said he’d battled complications in recent weeks before passing away in Southern Hills Medical Center.

Former Titans offensive lineman Brad Hopkins, who spent both training camps with Branch, remembered him as a “lovable guy” who worked hard.

“He was huge, and he looked like he could rip your head off. But he was a great guy to have in the locker room,” Hopkins said Friday. “Everybody loved Mario. He was one of those guys who looked so intimidating, but once you got to know him you were pleasantly surprised you got to meet him. We had tons of rookies come in and out I don’t remember, but he is one of the guys I remember because he was such a good guy.”

Branch’s funeral is scheduled for Saturday at Salem Missionary Baptist Church in Greenwood, Miss. A memorial is being held today. Branch is survived by his two young children — son, Javon, and daughter, Cierra — as well as four sisters and three brothers